


understanding

by stupidwolves



Category: Bleach
Genre: Depression, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-18
Updated: 2017-04-18
Packaged: 2018-10-20 14:11:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10664280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stupidwolves/pseuds/stupidwolves
Summary: Were Askin a pretentious writer, he’d say the room is as dark as his mood.





	understanding

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ser_Renity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ser_Renity/gifts).



> HAPPY BIRTHDAY @LUTECE!!!! <333333
> 
> hope u will enjoy this omg omg
> 
> this is my first time writing for this lovely pairing and i'm so nervous lmao

Were Askin a pretentious writer, he’d say the room is as dark as his mood. He’s under the covers alright, and doesn’t feel like getting up any time soon.

 

He stares at the ceiling and huffs, mad at himself for feeling so useless since he woke up. Being alone in the dark is not how he expected to spend his day, but the depression doesn’t warn when it's coming, and yet he can't help but hate himself when it happens.

 

There’s a knock on the door and he glances sideways, wondering who is interrupting his self-hating thought monologue. He doesn’t bother to welcome whoever it is, just stares blankly ahead, waiting for the person to reveal themselves.

 

A concerned face peeks through the gap of the door.

 

“Can I come in?” Ichigo asks, his voice soft and sweet.

 

Askin shrugs, under the covers, then realizes Ichigo can't see anything but his face, “Yeah, sure.”

 

Ichigo steps in carefully, looking around the room, taking in the sights and ignoring the faint smell of unwashed clothes.

 

He sits at a corner of the bed, his right hand lingering on the lump Ichigo figures is Askin’s leg. Thumb rubbing up and down, he tries to comfort his partner.

 

“Not feeling like getting up today?” he asks quietly, looking fondly at Askin.

 

“I’m good right here,” Askin tries for a smile, but by the look of concern on Ichigo’s face he knows he hasn’t succeeded. “Don’t worry about little ol’ me.”

 

Ichigo scoffs, “As if I could just let you by yourself when you’re feeling like shit.”

 

Askin feels something in his chest warm up. Gratitude. Truthfully, he doesn’t like to be alone, but he also doesn’t like to be a bother to others, especially his partners. He appreciates them too much to bring them down when he's not feeling so great himself.

 

“So,” Ichigo claps his hands, smiling down at Askin. “What can I do for you?”

 

If he's being honest with himself, Askin would love nothing more than to get rid of his depressive episodes, but he knows that’s not something Ichigo or anyone else can do.

 

“I don't know,” he shrugs again, even though he knows Ichigo can't see his movements. “You don’t have to stay with me, I’m sure you have better things to do.”

 

“I  _ want _ to be here,” Ichigo replies, staring at him seriously. “I know I can't magically make you feel great again, I can't take your depression away, but I do want to make you feel better, even if it's only a little.”

 

That makes Askin pause for a second, thankful for his partner and wondering what he needs the most at the moment.

 

(In all truth, what he  _ needs _ the most right now is a shower, but he has no energy to get out of bed to do that, so he settles for the next best thing.)

 

“Some coffee would be nice,” he mutters, looking at Ichigo by the corner of his eye.

 

Ichigo smiles fondly, then pats him on the shoulder lightly before getting up.

 

“Just a second, then,” Ichigo closes the door silently, and Askin sighs, burying himself under the mattress.

 

It takes a while for Ichigo to come back, and he brings Grimmjow in tow with him. Askin sits up straight, slowly, and tries to shoot them a grateful smile. He can’t really decipher what Grimmjow’s gaze means, so he lets it go.

 

“Hey,” Grimmjow’s voice is soft, doesn’t make any sound with his feet as he walks closer to Askin. “Bad day?”

 

Askin snorts, as if to say ‘isn’t  _ that  _ obvious?’. Grimmjow winces in sympathy and sits on the corner of the bed, staring at Askin as Ichigo hands him the coffee mug. He takes it, smiling softly at Ichigo, who smiles back at him. Ichigo kisses the top of Askin’s head and the man closes his eyes, appreciating the gesture. It’s soft, and it feels good. Things always feel better with Ichigo and Grimmjow at his side.

 

Grimmjow looks at the exchange, quiet, then lands his eyes on Askin. He gets a raised eyebrow in return, and he chuckles lowly, scooting closer to his partner. Askin simply stares at him, curious about his intentions, but doesn’t say anything, preferring to take a sip of his coffee instead.

 

The realization of what Grimmjow plans to do comes a second too late for Askin – his partner is already dumping himself on Askin’s lap. Askin is momentarily out of breath and mildly surprised, though he is smiling down at Grimmjow, partially amused.

 

Arms stretch around him, closing in and hugging him tight. Askin looks down and notices Grimmjow has his eyes closed, a serene expression on his face. He takes another sip of his coffee and rests the mug on the bedside table. He doesn’t notice it at first, but there’s a quiet rumbling coming from Grimmjow.

 

Askin frowns.

 

“What are you doing?” he puts his right hand on top of Grimmjow’s head, amused.

 

“Heard somewhere that purring is good when someone is depressed,” Grimmjow half-mumbles, his face almost entirely buried on Askin’s lap.

 

To his left, Ichigo laughs. Grimmjow opens one eye to scowl at him.

 

It fails – the intensity of the glare is downplayed by how comfortable he looks at the moment. Ichigo smiles and steps closer, sitting on the space Askin just gave to him.

 

“That’s – nice, I guess,” Askin smiles, still kind of uncertain of Grimmjow’s action.

 

Grimmjow shoots him a small smile, and Askin sees how it reaches his eyes. It makes Askin’s chest swell and he isn't sure how to deal with that, so he files it away for another time.

 

Next to him, Ichigo bumps their shoulders together, catching his attention. There’s something soft in the way he does it, not intrusive at all, that Askin can appreciate. It’s what he needs at the moment – softness,  _ quietness _ .

 

“So,” he starts, looking Askin in the eyes. “Wanna talk about it?”

 

The rumbling coming from Grimmjow’s chest is being surprisingly effective in its task of relaxing Askin. Hesitantly, he brushes his hand over Grimmjow’s fluffy, soft hair.

 

Askin shrugs half-heartedly, not sure how to voice what he's currently feeling. He’s never liked to think too deep about it, not at all looking forward to being one hundred percent honest with himself.

 

“I think the best word to describe what I’m feeling would be –” he does a flourish with his free hand, trying to find the right word. “Tired, I guess. Not really feeling that well to do anything, at least not today.”

 

Ichigo nods, understanding. “That’s okay, it’s a Saturday anyway, we don't have anywhere to be.”

 

And boy, how glad Askin is for that, because he can't even muster up the slightest strength to leave the bed, let alone get ready to go out.

 

Grimmjow doesn’t say anything, rather focusing on purring as much as he can to make Askin feel less shitty. It is very much appreciated on Askin’s side, what his partners are doing for him.

 

“Hey,” Ichigo catches his attention. “You’ve been having days like this a lot lately. Don’t you want to see your doctor about your meds not working properly?”

 

Askin stops, considers Ichigo’s idea. Truthfully, he should do that as soon as possible, but at the same time he wants to give his current meds a second chance.

 

In the end, he shrugs, looks at Ichigo. 

 

“I guess I could do that,” he says, trying to sound nonchalant. “Can't promise it will solve anything, though.”

 

“Good enough for me,” Ichigo smiles and it’s so bright Askin has to look away, too much beauty for him to take in.

 

“We can go with you,” Grimmjow offers, his eyes closed. “If you want to and all that.”

 

“That,” Askin starts, ruffling Grimmjow’s hair one last time before turning to smile tiredly at Ichigo. “That would be nice.”

 

They fall into a comfortable silence after that, and Askin is glad more than ever that Ichigo and Grimmjow are by his side. Even if they can't cure his depression, they still manage to make him feel a bit better about himself, and that is a grand feat if he does say so himself.

 

He shuffles a little, lays his head on Ichigo’s shoulder. It’s not as bony as his own, so he feels no discomfort resting in this position. Out of the corner of his eye he notices that Ichigo is reading something on his phone, but he doesn’t bother to ask what it is. 

 

It’s times like these that Askin feels glad he accepted to be in this relationship, despite not being one to have romantic feelings for others. His partners are there for him whenever they can, and vice-versa. It’s a good partnership, Askin thinks, he's sure of it.

 

“Hey,” Grimmjow calls after a while. “What's for dinner tonight?”

 

Ichigo looks up from his phone and scratches his head, pondering. 

 

“Well, there’s still some leftovers from lunch,” he says.

 

“Hmm,” Grimmjow doesn’t sound too interested, is what Askin gathers. “I guess we can have that.”

 

“I mean, we can order something if you want to,” Ichigo shrugs. “But money is kind of tight right now, so I’d rather we didn’t spend too much on takeout.”

 

“... Okay,” Grimmjow concedes. “Lunch wasn’t that bad anyway.”

 

Ichigo smiles, amused, then shares a look with Askin. They both know how Grimmjow is with food. He’s picky, most of the time, but knows when to back down from a demand.

 

“I can make something,” Ichigo nudges Grimmjow slowly, carefully. “If you want?”

 

There’s a quiet moment while Grimmjow considers. Then he nods, “Sure.”

 

“Okay then,” he grins, excited. “I’ll come up with something you two will like.”

 

He goes back to reading stuff on his phone, stays like this for a while longer before standing up to get dinner ready. He softly pushes Askin’s head away from his shoulder, and leaves a kiss on Askin’s cheek. Before leaving he ruffles Grimmjow’s hair, who bats away his hand, even though he is laughing in the process.

 

It doesn’t take long before the smell of food comes into the bedroom, and Askin breathes it in, looking forward to dinner.

 

“Thought the cook in the family was Yuzu,” Grimmjow mumbles, barely lifting his head from Askin’s lap.

 

“I guess she taught him a thing or two,” he smiles slightly, remembering how sweet the girl was with him the only time they met.

 

They fall silent after that, Grimmjow still purring, still grounding him, and Askin carding his fingers through Grimmjow’s hair.

  
If Askin is being honest to himself, he’d say he feels a lot better now.


End file.
